


Find Your Voice (Background Music Remix)

by SecondSilk



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, M/M, Remix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-16
Updated: 2012-04-16
Packaged: 2017-11-03 18:44:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/384630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecondSilk/pseuds/SecondSilk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neville finds music of his own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Find Your Voice (Background Music Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cinaed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinaed/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Cessation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/70166) by [Cinaed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinaed/pseuds/Cinaed). 



Neville dreams, sometimes, of a lullaby. Soft, flowing like a river through the countryside, and in no language he recognises. He imagines it's his mother's voice, but says nothing, asks noone about it, in case he's wrong.

*

The background music of Neville's childhood is the wireless. Gran's house is filled with curios Neville may not touch, adults who love to tease him, and music to overwhelm the voices of invisible ghosts.

Gran prefers the songs they played at her wedding. When the Weird Sisters come on, she changes the programme.

Great-uncle Algie sings as he works. He blasts the weeds out from between the herbs in the kitchen garden and belts out Quidditch fan songs or Stubby Boardman hits. Neville joins in the choruses until Gran appears at the end of the walk, lips pursed.

"Neville." She sounds surprised, a tone of voice that makes Neville hang his head with shame and the fear of disappointing her. "It's hardly dignified," Gran explains with a sigh. "And stand up straight."

Great-uncle Algie ruffles Neville's hair before nudging him back towards Gran. Neville follows her inside. He's quiet as he brushes his hair and gets his cloak. He stands quietly beside Gran as they Apparate to Saint Mungo's. He doesn't hum as he traipses up the stairs after Gran, but there is a song turning itself over in his head as they leave.

*

Gran collects him from the train station after the Tri-Wizard Tournament. She tucks her arm around him firmly and Apparates them home.

The house is still, empty of the rest of the family and quiet of the background buzz of the wireless. Neville walks gingerly up to his room.

Gran doesn't turn the wireless on all week.

Eventually Neville asks whether she wants to listen to The Witching Hour. Gran scoffs. "Things are changing, Neville. I won't have anything in this house that will repeat those beastly attacks on Albus Dumbledore."

Neville wonders whether that's why his great-auntie Enid hasn't come around.

Great-uncle Algie arrives just as they are finishing tea. He wanders in without ceremony and drops into a seat at the table. Gran's face tightens, but she doesn't say anything. Neville concentrates on buttering his crumpet so he doesn't start peppering great-uncle Algie with questions. Great-uncle Algie gets his fist around a fork and sticks it into an apple. He gnaws on it roughly.

"Algernon, please," Gran says.

Great-uncle Algie waves the apple around. "Augusta, those rats at the Prophet are determined to ignore this whole thing. As though it's not happening if they don't report it."

"We ought to be careful," Gran says. "Neville has to return to school in September."

In answer, great-uncle Algie bites into the core of his apple and chews noisily on the pips. He doesn't disagree.

Later in the evening, great-autie Enid arrives. Gran brings out a plate of biscuits and makes another pot of tea. Enid looks smaller and greyer and sterner than Neville has ever seen her.

"At least the Dearborn name still means something," she says, with a sigh.

Neville doesn't get sent upstairs when Algie gets out his firewhisky. He gets to sit beside Gran on the coach and listen to them argue about who they want to trust.

*

One night great uncle Algie invites Neville to a nip of whiskey. He teaches Neville a song his uncle Caradoc taught him, during the first war.

*

Seamus Requires a record player after their first week camped out the Room. It sits on a cabinet in one order of the room. The cabinet itself is empty whenever Neville opens it, but Seamus just reaches inside and pulls a record out. It's usually something Muggle, occasionally the Weird Sisters.

Neville comes back from the Carrows one evening to find Lavender performing along to Pixie Passion. He's exhausted and he has Draco to thank that he still has all his fingers. More than almost anything else he wants to understand Draco's reaction when Neville tried to thank him, but as he lies back in his beanbag and watches his friends make fools of themselves, he starts to rest a little.

The strident upbeat melodies of Lavender's Spellbound album overwhelms his nightmares.

 

*

Neville turns his back on the fading sounds of the battle and runs back into the school. He can hear nothing at all until he rounds the corner of the charms corridor and sees Draco lying against the stones, breathing. Then Neville realises his heart in pounding and his own breath is harsh in his ears.

He drops to knees beside Draco, who barely moves his head.

"We won," Neville tells him, hearing his own disbelief. "We won, so don't even think about dying on me." Belated he thinks to send his Patronus to call for help. The hair on his arms stands up and his Patronus stumbles getting out of the corridor, the magic is still so thick in the air.

Draco's skin is grey and clammy. He flinches when Neville wipes the blood off his face.

"When have I ever done what you're wanted, Longbottom?" Draco asks. Neville's glad of the joke, despite the pain it causes Draco to speak.

Two days ago, he thinks, when you said you would hold this door again your father. Three weeks before that, when you didn't raise to Seamus's bait. Easter, when you lent Ginny your cloak for the trip to Hogsmeade.

He says none of that. He doesn't sad, "all those countless times you kissed me." He says, "we won," because he still can't quite believe that the war is over and Draco was with them, that this is something can share.

"Fine then, die to spite me," he says, his voice catching on the desire to laugh.

He waits for Draco's sharp rejoinder. And for someone with healing ability to show up, just to keep Draco stable while they move him to the infirmary. He only needs Madame Pomfrey to look at him and he'll be all right.

Neville uses his robe to clean the blood from Draco's hands.

Draco doesn't look at him when he asks, "Can you hear it, Neville? Such a Melancholy song."

Neville hears the background tumble of a hundred voices. Somewhere someone is shouting orders and there are children crying. But there is no music, not yet. When Neville brushes the hair from Draco's face, Draco's eyes focus on his, but his voice is weak.

"I lost everything," he whispers. "One by one. Just you, now."

"I know I'm not a good substitute for everything," Neville begins.

He's saved from finishing an ending by a sharp sounds of denial from Draco.

"Not a choice," Draco tells him. "You for him. Your- your love and… you're so nice, for distain and shame? of course I chose you."

The air still crackles with magic. Neville fails to haul Draco to his feet, Draco a dead weight hanging from his arms, so he kneels again with Draco's head in his lap and hopes someone will come soon.

"Sing for me," Draco says.


End file.
